Mastering the Art of an Unforgettable Baby Shower On A Budget!

Embarking on the journey of planning a baby shower? Strap in for a delightful ride! Here's your go-to guide for crafting a memorable celebration. Note: Your results may vary, but guaranteed joy for all!

1. Setting the Scene: Choose Your Location Wisely

 Now, onto the essential: Location. Begin your planning early to snag the perfect spot. While we had a last-minute scramble for my baby shower, hosting it at my sister's townhouse turned out to be a cozy and cost-free solution. Pro tip: Start early, explore local parks, friend's backyards, churches, or consult your Chamber of Commerce for budget-friendly options.

2. Decor Delights: Creating a Theme without Breaking the Bank

Decorations can easily devour your budget, but fear not! We scoured the internet for key theme elements and complemented them with dollar store finds. For instance, hang baby clothes on a clothesline for a cute, cost-free decoration. Another tip: fill old baby bottles with water for adorable balloon weights (tint the water for extra charm).

3. Culinary Charms: A Feast for Every Palate

For this food enthusiast, the highlight of any event is the menu! Keep it simple with a variety of snacks like sub sandwiches, dips, veggie trays, and fruit kabobs. Pinterest is a goldmine for exciting ideas. Don't miss our blue ducky punch recipe - a cheap and cheerful hit!

Baby Shower Duck Punch Recipe:

1 bottle Blue Hawaiian Punch

1 Two-Liter Sprite or Seven Up

Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

Ducks, because why not!

Pour the Sprite and Hawaiian Punch, float ice cream scoops, and add ducks for a whimsical touch. You can switch the punch color for a girl baby shower.

4. Game On: Making Games Actually Enjoyable

Traditionally disliked baby shower games? We've got you covered. We opted for engaging yet non-embarrassing games like the Candy Game, PlayDough Babies, and the Paper Sack Game. Everyone participated enthusiastically without cringing!

5. Etcetera: Diaper Drawing and Beyond

Encourage guests to bring a pack of diapers for a chance to win a prize. It's a win-win – the winner receives a gift card, and you get a diaper stash. No need for additional favors; your guests will appreciate the simplicity.

Final Advice: Embrace the Fun!

The golden rule for your baby shower: Have fun! The people attending are there for you, not to critique your budget choices. Capture moments with photos, cherish the day, and remember: Your joy sets the tone. For information on health during pregnancy or general well-being, explore [here](insert link).

Switch Up Your Homeschool Routine With Oriental Trading Company! #Homeschool #Teacher #PR #Blogger #Review #MomLife #OTC

I received a sample product in exchange for this review, however, all opinions and views are my own. 

February is notorious for being a hard month for homeschoolers. It's right smack dab in the middle of the year. It's dark, it's dreary and it's depressing. The days seem very short and gray, and it's hard to keep on track. The weather, especially this year, sucks this time of year, and there are no nature walks, park trips, and even just playing outside in the yard.. February really stinks, and I've heard some great advice to NEVER make school decisions in January or February, because, once Spring arrives, you might feel differently. 

We have been ready to spruce up our homeschool routine for a few weeks, and who better to help us with that than our old friends at Oriental Trading? You already know how much we love them for party decorations and other stuff, but we just discovered what a great resource Oriental Trading is for school supplies and teacher resources! Whether you are a homeschooling mom, a public school teacher, or even have a child care center, I am sure that you could find a TON of resources at Oriental Trading! 

We got the chance to check out a ton of great products this time around! The boys favorite, by far, were our NINE new paints and a huge set of paintbrushes! What little boy doesn't love to make a mess with paint??? We are now painting almost every day, and they could not be happier! I love that the paint is easy to clean up too! We are definitely going to be using these paints all the time! 

Another great item we picked up were these dry erase sleeves, and a new set of dry erase markers! These sleeves are really really great for writing practice! My little guy now uses these everyday for his tracing sheets, and I love the fact that I can just wipe them off and go! No more wasting paper! We also picked up some carnival tracing cards, which are perfect for little fingers and working on fine motor skills! I thought these would seem like a chore to my little guy, but he LOVES them! He seriously wants to do "sewing" every day now! I love it! 

I also got this great hanging file organizer! This has been a great addition to our homeschool routine, and it has really helped me to get more organized with our paperwork! I have been able to label a folder for each day, and put all of our paperwork in there, so it's not all over my desk! These file folder organizers are great, and I use this every single day! 

We have used Oriental Trading Company for SO many different things in the past, from party supplies to homeschool supplies,to holiday party stuff, etc... They have absolutely everything that you could ever want, and the prices are so affordable! We have always been fans of OTC, even back before our blogging days, and they continue to be our go-to company when we need something! To visit their awesome site and make an order for yourself, just click here! Don't forget to follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well so you can keep up with all the latest and greatest products and deals! 

Getting Healthy With TruHealth MD and Step One Foods! #TruHealth #PR #Review #Blogger #HealthyEating #FoodBlogger

We received a sample product or products in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100 percent our own. 

As most of you know, I have been struggling with high blood pressure and other heart issues for awhile now. I'm only 28, so it's really not fair, but what are you gonna do? Darn genes, LOL! It's my goal to try to eat as healthy as possible, exercise every day, and do any and everything in my power to minimize my risk of heart problems. When I was introduced to TruHealth MD and Step One Foods, I was instantly intrigued. These foods were specially developed by a cardiologist to maximize heart health. Every single ingredient was hand picked for it's health benefits. I have really been paying attention to what we are putting in our bodies in my house, so I love when I discover new products that don't contain "junk"!

When Dr. Elizabeth Klodas got sick of not having any great foods to recommend to her heart patients, she did what anyone would do: she created her own! Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC, has dedicated her career to preventive cardiology. Trained at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, Dr. Klodas serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Step One Foods. She is a nationally sought out speaker and has an active role at the American College of Cardiology. She says: "We created The Step One Foods Program to help patients with nutrition fundamentals. Our simple, single-serve foods can lower reliance on prescription drugs and improve outcomes."

We were lucky enough to try out all six of the TruHealth MD Step One products, and I was very impressed! The Multigrain Pancake mix was my very favorite! Now I can eat yummy pancakes with my boys and not completely break my diet! Love it! The Anytime Smoothie Mix has definitely been another house favorite, my boys have loved it as well! We now eat smoothies just about every morning for breakfast or a mid-morning snack, and they LOVE getting to help use the blender!

The Dark Chocolate Crunch Anytime Bars were another personal favorite of mine, since I am a real sucker for ANYTHING dark chocolate! Can you say delicious?? The Step One products also include a yummy High Fiber Oatmeal, Cranberry Nut Anytime Bars, and an awesome Anytime Sprinkle, which can be added to yogurt, salad, or well, anything!!

The Step One program from TruHealth MD is simple and easy to understand! You can order a 30, 60, or 90 day supply, and simply replace two meals or snacks that you normally eat with Step One foods! Simple as that! I love having yummy foods in the cabinets that I can grab and not feel guilty about! As a heart patient, I definitely feel great about TruHealth MD and the Step One food program and I know you will too! If you want to learn more, or order some of these yummy goodies for yourself, just visit the Step One Foods website! You can also follow Dr. Liz on Twitter, and LIKE their Facebook page to stay updated!!

Review: Radical Skincare Age-Defying Exfoliating Pads #Makeup #SkinCare #Review #BeautyBlogger

The product below has been provided to me for review purposes, all opinions are my own. 

I have been trying to take better care of my skin lately, so when I got the chance to try out the Age Defying Exfoliating Pads from Radical Skincare, I was really excited! I was a little bit afraid, since I have pretty sensitive skin, that I would end up in a blotchy mess after using these pads, but I am happy to report that they are very gentle, even on sensitive skin! Score!

The size that I tried out comes with 60 pads, enough for a two month supply. I have been using mine every night before bed, so I don't forget. The pads are pretty pricey, however, at $75 for the container. However, as we all know, we only get one skin, so it's important to take care of the skin you have, and it's okay to splurge every once in awhile! If you are ready to splurge on these pads, you can get them at Sephora.com!

Let's read the product description: These AHA and BHA acid pads exfoliate, support natural cell turnover, and accelerate the performance of Radical Skincare products. Its antiaging ingredients are proven to tighten and firm skin, reduce the appearance of pore size and lines, and preserve skin's hydration and nourishment. Excess sebum is removed while leaving the good oils to nourish and hydrate the skin. Enriched with chamomile for soothing and calming, it is perfect for sensitive skin. [They are] formulated WITHOUT: Parabens, Sulfates, Phthalates.

Really, go ahead and give these pads a try, you will be surprised. I really thought that I was washing my face well enough, but I was not! I was really surprised to see how much dirt and grime remained! So crazy! Even though these pads reminded me that perhaps I really wasn't getting my face clean after all, I was impressed with how deep they cleaned and how much gunk they got out! So, thumbs up for that!

I was happy that this product contained both AHA's and BHA's, which I know is really helping my skin. Even though I am still (relatively) young, I am working hard to take precautions and keep my body looking and feeling as good as possible. I do have lines and ridges and wrinkles, but I am trying my best to take care of my skin and do the best I can!

If you are wanting to splurge on something great to really help you take care of your skin, I would highly recommend that you try these pads, you will be glad you did! I can tell a big difference in my skin already, and there's no telling how great it will look if I keep on using these! Give 'em a try!

The above product was provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are 100 percent my own. 

Celebrate #Valentine's Day With Hersheys! #Candy #LOVE #Vday #Blogger #FoodBlogger #Review #Hersheys

I love, love, LOVE Valentine's Day! I am really a cheesy person by nature, so I really get big into cheesy holidays, and holidays where you get to give gifts "just because". I really love giving gifts to my babies. They are only 3 and 7, so they haven't come to "expect" a gift yet, and they are always really surprised when they get one! This year, Hershey's sent us some awesome Valentine's Day treats to try out, and we loved them all! Last week, when the boys went out to play in the (neverending) snow, I got out all of the candy treats and surprised them when they came back inside! I got some really adorable pictures of them, but now, my lovely camera that I spent my life savings on will not turn on. :( I have tried everything to get it to work, and it is just plain dead. (On the plus side, looks like I know what hubby's getting me for my birthday!) Anyhow, for this post, I will have to use other photos, and hopefully my handy dandy techy hubs can get my camera up and working soon! 

I really had no idea that Hershey's had so many great Valentine's treats these days! I need to get with the times LOL! Of course, I know all about Hershey's Pot Of Gold chocolate boxes, since those are my favorites of all time, but I had no idea that they had so much good stuff on the market now! 

The first product that we tried turned out to be my very favorite! I have always loved Hershey's HUGS ever since I was a little girl, but these new Raspberry flavored ones just took the cake! I mean, come on, what's not to love? White chocolate and raspberry flavor outside, and yummy Hershey's milk chocolate inside! LOVE IT! I am ashamed to say that these adorable little babies didn't make it to anyone except mom, and are hiding in a Santa Claus coffee mug up in the cabinet for THOSE days.. You guys know THOSE days, right??

The second product we tried turned out to be the favorite of all three of my boys, dad included! They are all super big suckers for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, so when Hershey's sent us a huge package of Hershey's Valentines Peanut Butter Heart Exchange (28 packs in all!), they were definitely ready to make my guys happy! These were delicious, and definitely made my boys fall in love! I have hidden them up in the cabinet too, for a reward on extra special days! 

I was also the lucky recipient of a Hershey's Solid Chocolate Heart, which was SUPER yummy! There just isn't anything that can beat classic Hershey's solid milk chocolate, in my book anyways! The boys were also thrilled to receive a big bag of Jolly Rancher Sours Gummy Hearts, just in time for Valentine's Day! We love Jolly Ranchers and sour candy, so this combo was a win for our house! They really do taste just like the old school hard Jolly Rancher candy that you remember! So yummy! 

If you are looking for a great (and affordable!) treat for your Valentine this year, look no further than your friends at Hershey's! The Hershey's Valentine's Day Collection has something for everyone and especially something for us moms! Don't forget to check out the Celebrate With Hershey's website so you can find great recipes and crafts that you can create for every single holiday! Need some inspirations? Look no further! 

Thanks again to our friends at Hershey's for inspiring us and giving us the chance to try out some really great products! 

Local Review: Air Time Inflatables

This is a review I have been meaning to do for awhile, but I got sidetracked having babies and what not :)

Tater's 4th birthday was the end of April, and I had been searching for a good and affordable place to have his party. I knew that this would be his last birthday as an only child, so I wanted to do my best to make it an awesome party for him :) I was pretty set on having an inflatables party, so that's where all my research went...

I was shocked to find out how expensive this crap was. All the places I checked out were big, fancy inflatables party places, with parties for 8 kids running in the $300.00 range with no outside food or drink allowed. This, was not going to fly.

Much to my excitement, I came across the website for Air Time by accident. I have never been so happy to see anything in my life! The parties were so cheap, I couldn't believe it! We're talking under $200 for a party of UP TO 24 KIDS! This included 45 minutes in the party room for cake, ice cream, presents, whatever, followed by an hour and 15 minutes in the inflatables room. I was so thrilled to find what I had been looking for, I didn't hesitate to give them a call!

It just kept getting better from there, as I learned that we could bring any outside food or drink that we wanted, not just cake like all the other inflatables places had said. We could bring pizza, drinks, anything! Grown ups were also permitted, (encouraged even!) to play on the inflatables with the kids! I had never had any other place tell me that! The inflatables were top of the line,and they said they have so many, that they constantly switch them out so no party is the same twice! And my personal favorite part, weekend parties were PRIVATE! No hundreds of kids running around like we experienced at Tater's 3rd birthday at Chuck E Cheese! The most you will even see other people who are having parties is a 15 minute interval where one party is leaving/one party is arriving! That's it! I was sold!

Tater's party was great, went off without a hitch! It was by far the best birthday he has ever had! The only downfall to his party was that there were so many adults, we all didn't really fit into the party room, and it was kind of claustrophobic in there with so many people. But I would plan for that next time, and ask for the bigger party room . There were probably 7 or 8 giant inflatables, and everyone loved them! I said more than once that the grown ups had as much fun as the kids!

So, I wholeheartedly recommend Air Time Inflatables for anyone looking for a clean, nice, affordable place to have your kid's birthday party. They are located at 108 Bradley Drive, in Nicholasville. It's across from Kohls, behind the Subaru Dealership. You can contact them at (859) 885-3831 or check out their website at http://www.airtimeindoor.com/ Happy Jumping!

Disclosure: We were given a media discount for choosing to have our party at Air Time Inflatables, however all thoughts and opinons are 100% my own. 

Great Products From Lazy Day Cottage!

Okay, guys. You know how much I LOVE Etsy! It is my go to site for gifts, and especially for fun things for myself! I had a field day shopping on Etsy on Black Friday and Cyber Monday both! According to the reports, Cyber Monday was the biggest day for Etsy sales EVER! So, it's easy to see that I am not alone in my love for handmade and vintage straight from Etsy! Today I have another great shop to share with you guys, and it's one that is going to fit in nicely with your Christmas shopping!

Lazy Day Cottage is a shop that specializes in handmade paper tags, favor bags, and stickers! This stuff is right up my alley, so I was thrilled to check it out! I think that half of the fun of Christmas shopping is wrapping the gifts, and Lazy Day Cottage has so many great accents to make your gift wrapping special! Best part of all? The awesome products at Lazy Day Cottage are SUPER affordable, so what's not to love?

Here are a few of my favorites:

Believe me, I could keep going! I just love, love, LOVE the look of these products! I have been trying to relax a bit more this year and make wrapping the gifts more fun and less of a chore, and I think I have found the perfect "tools" to help me make that possible! I absolutely adore handmade products, and when they have a vintage flair like these do, it just puts them right over the edge for me, and I fall in love!! I am already in love with Etsy, so I have another shop to add to my favorites now! I am a big advocate for supporting small businesses and buying local, so Etsy is like a field day for me!

If you want to check out Lazy Day Cottage on Etsy, here's a direct link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LazyDayCottage?ref=seller_info.

Also, be sure to like Lazy Day Cottage on Facebook here and also on Twitter to stay up to date on all of the latest deals!

And, get excited, because I have a great deal for you! I have an amazing promo code to offer my readers for a great discount on any order from the Lazy Day Cottage!

If you place an order anytime up until January 2013, just use PROMOCODE: FLIPOUTMAMA20 to receive 20 PERCENT off of your order! I knew you guys would love that! So, go ahead, get to shopping so you can get to wrapping in style!

A New Chapter In My Life.

Well, it is almost time to open a new door in my life. 

Tomorrow is the day that I go for orientation at my new job. 

(The place shall remain nameless, I don't wanna open up that can of worms!) 

This is a big deal for me. 

I have been at my current waitress job for nine years. 

Since I was sixteen! 

I used to get off the school bus there. 

But, alas, the time has come. 

I am terribly excited to work for a big company. 

I am not all that excited for the work I will be doing in the beginning, but I am pumped to have the possibility to advance, to actually be something when I grow up. 

Am I excited? Yes. 

Am I scared? Out of my freaking mind. 

I feel like I am going to puke. 

But, I am ready for this! 

Wish me luck, bloggy friends! I will let you know how it goes!

Holiday Gift Guide: Gourmet Gift Baskets

I was recently given the opportunity to review for one of my favorite companies, Gourmet Gift Baskets. I love their products, and have always been more than impressed with the quality and prompt service of this company! 

We had the opportunity to review the Nutcracker Drum Gift Basket. It would make a wonderful gift for anyone on your list! This is a wondeful basket full of sweet treats! There are English Toffee Caramels, a Peanut Roll, Praline Pecans, Peanut Brittle, Butter Wafers, and much much more! There was so much good stuff in this basket, it lasted almost a week from the time we opened it! Plus I love the fact that you can use the adorable Drum as a decoration after the sweets are gone! This one was definitely another winner from Gourmet Gift Baskets! 

If you are looking for a place to do all of your Holiday Shopping, Gourmet Gift Baskets is without a doubt your one-stop-shop! They really do have something for everyone: 

Cocktail Gift Basket

Pedicure Gift Basket

Ice Cream Sundae Gift Basket

Fruit Gift Basket

Snowflake Gift Basket

Gourmet Gift Baskets has it covered if you are wanting an affordable, but quality gift for someone on your list. Check them out today, and you'll see what I mean!

I was provided with a sample product in order to conduct this review. All opinions are my own and no monetary compensation was given.